127 Field Regiment: 301 Battery-304 Battery-491 Battery:

 

23 January 1945: Regiment arrives area Oisterwijk.

 

24 January 1945: 1930 - Carriers will pass SP at 1045 hrs 25 Jan. SP changed to Berlear. DP Moergestel 2330. Guide required.

1945 - 3 Tonner ferrying ammn for 304 crashed as a result of bad civilian driver overtaking. This leaves 304 with 2 3-tonners.

 

25 Janaury 1945: 1030 - CPO's leave for conference with SCRA a HQ RA.

1115 - Mobile canteen arrived quite well stocked.

 

26 January 1945: 1100 - Visited by Security Section who impressed need for security in coming OPs.

1200 - Ammn dumping parties - 2 NCO's and 8 men per Bty under CPO's  leave for HQ RA met by Canadians and taken to destination as yet secret. Party staying there till remainder of regt goes  up.

1800 - 304 barn set on fire by a No.1 cooker exploding. Army Fire Service arrived very quickly when eventually contacted by Corps. ? stands at GPO's 15 cwt containing wireles set (No 22) kit belonging to 20 men and the No 1 cooker and cooks equipment.

 

27 January 1945: 1000 - ? of fire in recced gunpositions.

1130 - Church parade at Haaren.

1200 - CO hold conference with BC's Domestic details.

 

28 January 1945: Nothing to report.

 

29 January 1945: 1700 - Warning order calibration HQ 1,2 & 3. 127th to lay line on 30th at Lommel ranges.

2100 - Calibration orders in writing arrive. 491 301 to lay line 301 guns to has comparative  calibration with 2nd strong gun.

 

30 January 1945: 1300 -  Lt Reed leaves for Lommel range with his party.

1330 - Major French goes to HQ RA for conference of CO2 of Div Arty with SCRA.

 

31 January 1945: 0930 - 8 guns leave for Lommel ranges under Capt Gegan.

1330 - Major French goes to HQ RA to continue conference taking requirements of new ?? equipment.

 

4 February 1945: Available accommodation prior to their attack. Btys will likewise have command posts in tent or dug outs.

1930 - OPs order arrive. OP Veritable.

 

5 February 1945: 1400 - Officers briefed in coming operation by CO.

1500 - RHQ moves to house. Survey completed. 491 Bty occupy gun pits vacated by Cdn Regt Remainder of regt remains hidden to conform with picture as it has been while Canadians alone were here.

 

6 Februay 1945: 1200 - Complete ammunition dumping by sending for Yellow Smoke and super considerable trouble caused by having to dump for 6 ?. In this connection we could not supervise the unloading of all R.A.S.C. lorries and so we found one lorry had failed to dump in correct place. This laxity was repeated when RASC was dumping super for us.

1300 - CO leaves for 153 Bde.

1430 - LO collects defence overprints and traces from HQ RA.

 

7 February 1945: 0900 - Troop Comdr 79 Med arrives to tee up for his job as rep with 153 Bde.

1100 - CO 1 Gds is dissatisfied with supporting fire. Arrives and arranges regtl fire plan Martin.

1500 - CO and BC's 301 and 304 leave for 153 Bde for final conf. TC's join BC 491 and TC's join 5/7 Gdns who are with 154 Bde.

1730 - 304 and 301 occupy gun positions and report Ready.

1800 - Roads have been frozen to incidental traffice since 0700hrs 7 Feb to maintain security but has had little effect roads having been full all day. The lack of signs has brought a deluge of lost souls into RHQ asking for locations.

Receive very good maps with tgts overprinted and another type showing the going in country ahead. The issue of maps and photographs has been rather excessive - regtl issue being 50 copies of each type incl 1:12500 & 1:25000 of same areas in ordinary print, with defence overprint and with tgt overprint.

Op parties left with too much literature on the OP.

2300 - Enemy A/c bombing south of us.

 

8 February 1945: 0430 - Wireless communication opened.

0500 - Shot in first target of 30 Corps Fire Plan.

0530 - BM RA asks for shelling report - none in 127 area so far.

0846 - Ruby altered.

0900 - Btys report gun empty of 30 Corps.

0920 - 304 shot on Blackwater. 301 & 491 hot on 30 Corps Fire Plan.

1000 - Regt shot on Whitewater.

1145 - Regt completed Task Table.

1318 - CM tgt scale 3.

1335 - Told in excess 1st line 85HE 115 C Normal.

1410 - Guides for area - 100 rpg.

1430 - Transport to Wijchen  - 100 rpg.

1503 - Co at Tac 153 reports battle going well slight delay caused by enemy in houses. 5/7 Gdns went in at 1400 hrs.

1530 - 5 BW to pass through 5/7 Gdns at K hour. Fire plan in sp for Div Arty 127 on call on tasks. K hour not before 1545 hrs.

1650 - Collect 50 rpg from 5 Fld Malden

1645 - BC 304 warns us to be ready to fire smoke screen Forth Left 51 Div Trace. Regt taken off K fire Plan.

1657 - K hour 1700.

1707 - Forth Left not now required.

1745 - Fire plan M to put 1st Gdns on objective 127 M-M+15 tgt rate slow essential that shooting be accurate. M hr not before 1815. 126 & 6 Fld Rgts also engaged on M.

1837 - U Tgt scale 2.

1900 - POW between 200-300.

2015 - 127 responsible for tgt.

2100 - CO meets CRA at main 51 Div for conference.

2115 - BC 301 location.

2345 - 1 Gdns on objective 'Peach'.

2350 - Coord of Smoke screen.

 

9 January 1945: 0025 - Tgt for 10 minute rate slow.

0725 - At call for 51 Div today 6½ Med 2 Hvy besided Fld.

0815 - 1 Gordons ontinue mopping up North of Mook/Gennep road and contact Canadians on right.

0950 - 5 BW & 5/7 Gdns nothing to report.

1015 - DF NW 100 Scale 5 - enemy patrol 30 strong discouraged.

1045 - 5/7 revert to under command 153 from 154.

1208 - M6 Scale 3 - enemy infantry. Followed by M8 scale 3 in sp 5 BW.

1211 - Cancel M6 go on on tgt.

1234 - FOO with 5 BW.

1235 - Task NE 400 scale 2  MGs

1205 - Shot on 304 Fire Plan (a) SW half scale 5

                                              (b) Smoke screen on tgt.

5 mins normal. Smoke screen 100% OK. Patrolling platoon who were pinned, returned without loss.

1335 - Tgt 60 inf. scale 3

1400 - Recced H fire plan.

1455 - No firing on tgt after 1500 hrs. Tgt. Tot Scale 1 not before 1505 hrs.